Guide
How to ask for the work
Example requests for Civil 3D work, sorted by task. Each one went through in a real drawing.
Turn it on
The first time, on Windows with Civil 3D 2025 or 2027:
- Install it. Save your work and close Civil 3D. Then download Pickbox and run the file.
- Sign in. Your browser opens. Sign in with your Pickbox account, choose your firm and review the data-sharing settings. The Pickbox window continues on its own.
- Open a drawing in Civil 3D. Pickbox connects by itself, and its panel opens inside Civil 3D.
- Tell it what to do. Type in the box at the bottom of the panel and press Enter. Press Esc to stop a run.
Every time after that: open a drawing in Civil 3D, then open Pickbox from the Windows Start menu.
How to use this page
- Find your task in the list on the leftbelow.
- Fill in your values. The highlighted parts of a request are fields. Click one and type your layer, surface, file path or number.
- Copy it and paste it into Pickbox. These are examples, not scripts. Change any of the wording to fit your job.
- Use the follow-ups if the first try is off. They're what engineers said next when it was.
The tag next to each title says how it usually goes: One request done in one ask, 1–2 follow-ups a correction or two, Iterate over several turns, checking as you go.
Before you ask
Talk to it like a drafter at your desk. Pickbox reads your whole drawing: layers, objects, surfaces, alignments, styles, xrefs and layouts. You don't have to describe what's already there.
Point instead of describing. Select it, snip it or leave it in view, and say “like this one,” “move that” or “per the current view.” It finds the objects, layers and styles behind what you point at.
Short is fine. Spelling, capitals and tone don't matter. A line that says what to do, plus something to point at, is often the whole request.
Say what to do with a snip. A snip tells it where, not what. Add a line: “These labels overlap. Delete the duplicates.”
The same request, rewritten
Before: Label contours within each viewport.
Label the proposed contours of surface inside each plan viewport. Keep the labels off the curbs and striping.
Without a surface name, it stops to ask you to pick one.
Before: Fill in the missing feature lines and label them. Don't change the design.
In the north lot, add feature lines laid out like my snip: straight runs between the drive edges, begin and end PIs only. Use the existing design elevations, don't change any design grades, and label them with the native feature-line grade label.
Without the layout rule, it added PIs the engineer didn't want.
Before: Move the fireline so it's 2 ft south of the curb on the left.
Move the fireline on so it runs parallel to the curb in my snip, 2 ft from the curb face on the parking side.
Compass and screen directions get misread. Name the side by what's there.
Before: Can you update this drawing from a PDF markup? What do you need from me?
Read the markup PDF at and tell me what you see on the south half before changing anything. We'll take one markup at a time. Keep all layers and blocks as they are.
The open-ended version became a long back-and-forth. One markup at a time, each change was done and checked before the next.
Grading and feature lines
Native feature lines and grade labels, built from your design elevations, callouts, points or surfaces.
Copy a graded detail to every matching spotOne request
Duplicate the grading of the selected truck well at every truck well on the north building. Use the same feature-line label style, keep the example's grades and slopes, and fit each copy to that well's width. Don't change anything else.
If a copy drifts from the example, say:
It needs to match my example exactly at every location.
Fill in cross-slope feature linesOne request
Add cross-drive feature lines on the west drive so the cross slope is defined, plus lines along the landscape island edges, the same way the other drives are done. Tie into the existing design elevations, don't change any design grades, and label them with the drawing's native feature-line labels.
Draw a feature line from elevation callouts1–2 follow-ups
Add a native feature line along the parking edge in the marked area, using the elevations from the callouts on that edge. Leave the callouts unchanged.
If it mixes up the numbers at a building, say:
The finished floor is and the pavement is . Add a pavement line just outside the building at the pavement elevation.
If the callouts carry suffixes, say:
Ignore any elevation that ends in TF, and remove those from the feature lines.
Set top-of-footing elevations along a wallOne request
Along the wall line on , use surface to set top of footing at least 1 ft below the lowest ground within 5 ft of the wall. The footing steps in 0.67-ft increments. Show the TF elevations and step locations as MText with leaders on that layer.
Surfaces and contours
Build, edit, review and label TIN surfaces. Reproject and convert contour data.
Reproject LiDAR contours and convert to feet1–2 follow-ups
These contours came from the GeoTIFF at , in meters. Reproject them to the coordinate system of , convert the elevations to international feet, keep the layers intact, and save a copy named “ IN FEET”. Don't change the reference drawing.
If it asks which datum governs, say:
Matching exactly takes priority, horizontal and vertical.
Build a proposed surface from spot elevationsIterate
Build the surface
Create surface from the spot elevations on , including the finished floors and contour-label values. Labels drop the leading 10, so 48.20 means 1048.20.
Set the outer boundary
Use my snipped rectangle as the outer boundary.
Add the grade breaks
Add the grade-break lines on to the surface as feature lines.
Review a surface against slope criteriaOne request
Analyze this proposed surface without changing it. On a new review layer, put a green 20-ft circle where landscape is steeper than 25%, AC paving is flatter than 1%, concrete is flatter than 0.5%, and gutters are flatter than 0.3%. Use the xref to tell the surface types apart.
Put a building pad into a conceptual surfaceOne request
Add the building outline to as a closed feature line at so the pad is flat, then rebuild the surface.
Basins and drainage
Fit and check retention basins, report areas and storage, and back-check drainage areas.
Fit basins to the land you have1–2 follow-ups
On a red layer, extend the basins into the areas I marked and leave the existing basins as they are. Use the available land rather than following the curb, draw 4:1 contours, keep 10 ft from the parking line, and round the corners from the bottom up.
If it hugs the curb, say:
That's too rigid. Use the land, not the curb line.
List contour areas for a basinOne request
For this basin, list each contour's enclosed area from high water down, as Elevation / Area SF.
Check feasibility before an editOne request
Before changing anything, find which objects control this basin. Raise the top of bank to hold with , without changing the floor, crossing the property line, or touching the pavement, the wall or the corridors. If that can't be done, stop and tell me why.
Pipes and utilities
Route, number, label and place utility runs and structures, and flag what's in the way.
Number and label a network from a go-byOne request
Use to label the water pipe and junctions. Number the junctions J-1 onward from north to south and the pipes P-1 onward, and set the label text height to .
Re-route a line for clearanceOne request
The storm drain conflicts with the fireline north of the building. Leave the fireline, move the storm run 10 ft north of the catch-basin edges, and reconnect the laterals.
Place catch basins without changing the design1–2 follow-ups
Replace the catch-basin placeholders with at every proposed catch basin. Don't move anything else.
If they sit at the wrong angle, say:
The long side runs parallel to the curb, and parallel to the building at the truck wells.
Flag utilities inside a limitOne request
Circle the structures
Circle every existing manhole inside our paving limit in red, and every water valve in yellow. The data is in the topo xref.
Do the next feature type
Do the same for street signs.
Labels and annotation
Callouts, MLeaders, dimensions, notes and native Civil 3D labels, placed to your format.
Copy an example callout everywhere1–2 follow-ups
Copy the callout in the current view to each of the remaining ramps. Just copy it along, and leave the ones already labeled.
If it starts re-deriving the callout, say:
Don't overthink it. Just copy it along and adjust the values.
Convert text and leaders to MLeadersOne request
Convert every text note and its leader into a native MLeader. Keep the wording, position, style, arrowheads and fields, all left-justified.
Renumber keynotes to match the notesOne request
I renumbered the construction notes. Renumber the keynote bubbles on the plan to match.
Fix leaders to a shown standardOne request
These labels point to the symbol centers. Using my snip as the example, move each arrow to the symbol's edge with the same angled approach, and keep the arrowheads.
Sheets and plotting
Layouts, viewports, Sheet Set Manager fields, matchlines, title blocks and PDFs.
Set up sheets from a go-by, with a checkpoint1–2 follow-ups
Set up the grading sheets at in our format, using for the cover and project information. Pause after the viewport layout so I can approve it.
Tie sheets to Sheet Set Manager fields1–2 follow-ups
Tie each sheet number to its layout name, make the street names and total sheets SSM fields, and update the sheet index to use fields. Only use fields for data that's in the SSM.
Tidy every sheet at onceOne request
Separate the overlapping north arrows and scale bars on every sheet.
Plot a named PDFOne request
Plot this layout to a PDF named “Preliminary Site Plan”.
Alignments and sections
Fit linework to alignments, check curves, and draw and label sections.
Check a reverse curveOne request
Confirm the reverse curve in the current view is tangent. If it isn't, fix it while holding the adjoining tangents, and show me what changed.
Fit linework to an alignment by its station textOne request
Use the station text on this linework to align it to , matching each station tick to the same station on the alignment.
Add existing ground to section blocksOne request
Add an existing-ground line to each section block, sampled from every 10 ft along the plan cuts. Put it on its own layer with HIDDEN2 linetype and color 8.
Draw the next typical section from the lastIterate
Draw one section
Create Section 4 from Section 3 per callout 4. Copy it, change only what the callout changes, keep the dimension formatting, and left-justify the text.
Once it's right, do the next
Now do the same for section callout 5.
Survey, COGO and legal descriptions
Linework from plats and title documents, legal descriptions, and COGO point work.
Draw plat linework from a recorded platOne request
Draw all the linework from the recorded plat PDF at , starting at . Linework only.
Write a legal description from lineworkOne request
Write the legal description of from the drawing, formatted like the sample MText. Show me anywhere it doesn't close.
Clean up points for plottingOne request
Make these COGO points legible at . Put the cluttered points on the no-plot style, like . Don't change any coordinates, elevations or descriptions.
Base updates and markups
Bring in and locate bases, compare revisions, and carry markups into the drawing.
Insert and locate an architect's baseOne request
Insert at 1/12 scale (it's in inches) and locate it on the topo's street monument lines. Then move its curb linework to .
Compare and apply note changesOne request
Compare the current notes with the green notes and list what changed. Then apply those changes, keeping the font and layer.
Work through PDF markupsIterate
Have it read the markup first
Read the markup PDF at and tell me what you see before changing anything. We'll do one markup at a time. Keep all layers and blocks, and change only what the markup shows.
When one checks out, go to the next
Good. Next markup, same rules.
Site layout and linework
Curbs, setbacks, buildings and driveway details, drawn or revised to your rules.
Make back of curb from face of curbOne request
Offset all face-of-curb lines 0.5 ft into the islands and landscape to make the back of curb, and delete any duplicates.
Revise a site plan to a new setback1–2 follow-ups
The east setback is now minimum. Move only the east end of the building, which gets shorter. Keep the other walls and the front parking, and respace the grid so the end grids match the wall bump-outs.
Add driveway detailsOne request
Add a 3-ft valley gutter at each driveway and a 2-ft sidewalk easement where the driveways cross the property line.
Cleanup and standards
Layers, linetypes, duplicates, Z values and audits, brought to your standard.
Convert a drawing to your standardsOne request
Delete all text and labels except the main building label, and convert the site plan to our standard layers and linetypes, using as the guide.
Flatten lineworkOne request
Set all proposed linework to Z = 0, in this drawing only, not the xrefs. Use plain AutoCAD commands.
Quantities and areas
Counts, lengths, areas and quantity tables, with what it measured shown.
Update quantities from another drawingOne request
Update the cover-sheet quantities to match the callouts in . Keep the table format and drop the zero rows.
Take off areas with proof1–2 follow-ups
Calculate areas by type: buildings, drives and truck yard. Draw green no-plot boundaries, number the areas, group them by type, and put a table to the right.
Get a quick countOne request
How many stalls are in the marked area? And what's the total storm pipe length, without double-counting outlines?
Turning studies
Swept paths for a design vehicle, with the conflicts circled and the vehicle dimensions stated.
Run a design vehicle along a path1–2 follow-ups
Run a WB-67 along the approximate centerline on . Draw the truck and the path in different colors, stay inside the curbs where possible, circle the conflicts, state your assumptions, and add a dimensioned truck diagram.
If it's too strict about lanes, say:
Assume it can use the full lane, and inbound and outbound trucks can overlap.
Find the largest truck through a door1–2 follow-ups
There's a 22-ft door on a ramp. Find the largest truck that can turn in without hitting the trailer stalls. Try a WB-65 and allow backing. Save that as Option 1, show a back-in as Option 2, and add a dimensioned truck drawing to both.
Fix radii where the truck conflictsOne request
Update the curb radii where the truck path conflicts so it can make the turns.
When it goes wrong
What to say when a run goes sideways, whatever the task.
- It's overthinking a simple edit
- Give it the method: “Just copy them along.” “It all moved 60 ft. Move it 60 ft along the same alignment.”
- It missed some
- Name what it missed: “You missed the catch basins in the south and east drives.”
- It says it's done, but you don't see it
- “I don't see it. Make it red and dashed.” Or: “Check the drawing again; did it take?” It looks again and fixes what didn't hold.
- It misread a value
- Say which number is which, and why: “The catch basins are the low spots, not flow-by.”
- You want the same thing somewhere else
- “Do the same for this drive entrance.”
- A rule should always apply
- “This is typical. Always do it this way on this project.” It keeps it as a project rule.
- A big job is drifting
- Stop it and break it up. First: “Inspect and report what controls this; don't edit.” Then one area at a time, unsaved, with anything it can't meet circled.
- It's slow
- A nudge to hurry gives it nothing new. A method, a rule or an example does.
Requests come from real runs in engineers' own drawings, edited for grammar and clarity. Names, projects and coordinates are left out. Results vary with your drawing.